Maple Leafs Officially Recall 14 AHL Players for Playoff Push

With the Maple Leafs heading into Game 5 of the first round on Tuesday, and the potential to see a long playoff push past the second round, the team might need some extra insurance when it comes to keeping healthy.

Which is why it isn't too surprising to see that Toronto made a few call ups from the AHL, however by the bevy of names listed; it's more or less half the team.

The players called up are as follows:

F Alex Steeves
F Jacob Quillan
F Nicholas Abruzzese
F Reese Johnson
F Alex Nylander
F Roni Hirvonen

D Matt Benning
D Cade Webber
D Topi Niemelä
D William Villeneuve
D Mikko Kokkonen
D Marshall Rifai

G Matt Murray
G Dennis Hildeby

It's really not surprising to see some of the names called up such as Hildeby; who replaced Artur Akhtyamov as Toronto's third goaltender in the series, and adding players with the caliber of Quillan, Nylander, Steeves, Webber and Villeneuve all add some intrigue to the lineup.

However it's unlikely they play especially with how Toronto needs their current lineup to succeed, but it's a great way to expose them to playoff hockey, and give them a chance potentially to enter the series if, heaven forbid, a group of Leafs go down with injuries.

It is a bit surprising to see some of the names called up however, as many of them seemed to be on the outs with the team, and don't really have a spot in the future lineup.

Case in point guys like Roni Hirvonen, Marshall Rifai, Topi Niemelä, Mikko Kokkonen and Nick Abruzzese; five players who have been in the organization for quite a bit of time and who are projected not to factor into Toronto's plans in the next few years.

But guys who could end up with the team in the future are guys like Cade Webber, a towering defenseman who fits perfectly with the new regime. William Villeneuve is an intriguing defender who could be a two-way monster, meanwhile Alex Steeves is the greatest scorer in Marlies history; he deserves a look.

Giving these guys a playoff atmosphere to soak in and enjoy gives them a chance to see if they can mentally handle the pressure if given the chance themselves. As much as they are fans and want the team to win, the onus is on them to make sure they take whatever they learned from watching and apply it next year.

While it's a very unlikely scenario we see any of these players line up for the Maple Leafs in this year's postseason, never say never and one of them could end up being the hero Toronto needed all along.